Shift/tilt locking apparatus and method for shift lever of automatic transmission

Abstract

A shift/tilt locking apparatus for shift lever of automatic transmission may include a shift knob, a main shaft slidably and rotatably disposed in a housing such that shift knob is slidable; a crossbar having shift knob at the upper end to tilt; a shift restriction device that allows shift knob to slide by selectively restricting sliding of main shaft; and a tilting restriction device controlling shift knob to tilt by selectively restricting the tilting of shift knob by using a third solenoid, which is controlled by a shift mode determining step that determines a shift mode by checking the position of shift knob and a lever locking step that restricts/releases shift knob by selectively operating first solenoid to third solenoid.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A shift/tilt locking apparatus for a shift lever of an automatic transmission, comprising:
 a shift knob; 
 a main shaft slidable and rotatable in a circumferential direction disposed in a housing such that the shift knob is slidable in a forward/rearward direction and a left/right direction; 
 a crossbar coupled to the main shaft so as to cross the main shaft, the crossbar including the shift knob at an upper end to tilt; 
 a shift restriction means selectively allowing the shift knob to slide by selectively restricting sliding of the main shaft; and 
 a tilting restriction means controlling the shift knob to tilt or not to tilt by selectively restricting tilting of the shift knob at the upper end of the crossbar, 
 wherein the tilting restriction means includes:
 a knob rotation shaft fixed to the upper end of the crossbar; 
 a knob bracket receiving the knob rotation shaft, rotating relatively to the knob rotation shaft, and disposed in the shift knob; 
 a sliding cam slidably disposed in the shift knob and engaged with the knob bracket when moving forward; 
 a rotating arm rotatably disposed at the shift knob and sliding the sliding cam by rotating; and 
 a third solenoid disposed at the crossbar and rotating the rotating arm by extending/retracting. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the shift restriction means includes:
 a locking lever coupled to the main shaft and protruding toward one side from the main shaft; 
 a first solenoid and a second solenoid having a first locking arm and a second locking arm, respectively, at the front and rear portions in a sliding direction of the locking lever in order to selectively restrict sliding of the locking lever, and operating to restrict the locking lever with the first locking arm and the second locking arm that extend/retract. 
 
     
     
       3. The apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the first solenoid and the second solenoid are latch solenoids. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein a connecting rod having opposing ends connected to the third solenoid, and wherein the rotating arm is disposed between the third solenoid and the rotating arm. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the third solenoid is a latch solenoid.